Horovitz awarded Austrian Cross of Honour
16th October 2007
Joseph Horovitz has been awarded the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, First Class. This award is one of Austria’s highest honours, given to “leading international figures for distinguished achievements”. It was presented by the Austrian Ambassador, Dr Gabriele Matzner, on October 11 at the Embassy on Belgrave Square. Horovitz’s Clarinet Sonatina , alongside a movement from Quintet for Clarinet by Mozart, was performed by Sarah Thurlow (clarinet) and Vanessa Latarche (piano). The evening also featured a Laudatio, written by Dr Christian Heindl.
Joseph Horovitz was born in Vienna in 1926 and settled in England in 1938. He took a B.Mus at Oxford, followed by studies with Gordon Jacob at the Royal College of Music and Nadia Boulanger in Paris. He is a Fellow of the RCM, where he has taught composition since 1961. In a wide-ranging compositional career he has won a Commonwealth Medal, a Leverhulme Research Award, two Ivor Novello Awards (one for Captain Noah and his Floating Zoo ), the Gold Medal of Vienna, and the Nino Rota Prize, Italy. Next month he is being awarded honorary membership of the Austrian Composers’ Union.
